Let the Games Begin

With the opening ceremonies upon us, stories about pollution, Zika, security and unfinished facilities in Rio dominate the headlines. But it also has become somewhat expected that every four years, host countries battle increasing costs and other challenges. The games will go on and athletes will be striving to fulfill lifelong dreams to represent their countries and achieve their goals. We all love a good personal story.

Advertisers like Coca Cola, Nike, Visa and McDonald’s have already started releasing their Olympics ads with the expectation that viewership will reach record levels in the U.S., just as they did in London in 2012. And while Comcast/NBCU is promoting viewing the competition on their app and have combined forces with emerging social media channels like Snapchat, three-quarters of views, even by those elusive Millennials, are saying that they still plan to watch the Olympic Games on live broadcast outlets.

The thrill of victory is still alive and well for athletes, advertisers and NBC affiliates.